Roosevelt boys' soccer team ranked seventh, off to best start in years

By Jeff B. Flinn

Published
12:02 am CST, Thursday, March 3, 2011

To say they are the darkhorse of District 26-5A is an understatement. But don't tell that to Lyndon Hamilton's Roosevelt Rough Riders soccer team ... they know different.

“We're kind of like the darkhorse that nobody expected to be where we are,” Hamilton said. “But we're tied for second with Churchill, and we beat them the first round, so anything's possible.”

This is the best start for Roosevelt boys' soccer in Hamilton's five years at the helm. The Riders are 10-5-1, 3-2-1 in district play and ranked seventh in the city — largely due to their performance in their last two games, a 1-0 win over perennial power Churchill and a grueling 1-0 loss last Friday to the second-ranked Reagan Rattlers.

“Yeah, we hammered a guy in the box and (Reagan) hit a penalty kick, with about 15 minutes left in the game,” Hamilton said. “We've been involved in our share of 1-0 and one-score wins and losses.”

The Riders are a senior-laden squad, but younger members of the team are making valuable contributions.

“We have a lot of seniors .. but we have a really good young group of players,' he said. “Three sophomores start for us, Alan Garcia, Devonte Small and Brian Pimental.”

Coincidentally, Garcia and Small are the team's leading scorers, Garcia having logged 10 goals and five assists while Small has notched eight goals and four assists.

Roosevelt likes to “come out and set the tempo,” Hamilton said. “We try to spread the field as much as possible, so we can make better use of space. The kids we have all understand their roles, and where they fit into the scheme of things.”

Small and his older brother, senior striker Dominik Small, moved into the district a few years ago and have brought an added dimension to the team.

While the Riders use a flat 4 defense, the coach said he turns his offense loose when it's time to perform.

“For the most part, we just let our players play. If they earn the (starting) spot, the expectation is for them to play 80 minutes,” he said. “We approach every game as if it's the most important game of the season. And in 26-5A, every game is a playoff scenario.”

Another strong point for the squad is team chemistry, on and off the field.

“The chemistry for these kids is the best it's ever been, they get along great. It's that the camaraderie, that's the key to the season,” Hamilton said, adding, “and they're having fun getting it done.”

Early season 26-5A favorites, in addition to Reagan and Churchill, most likely were the Lee Volunteers and Madison Mavericks. In the first round of district play, Roosevelt tied Lee and loss to Madison, but forged the 1-0 win over Churchill and avoided the upset bug — which bit Madison, in a 2-0 loss to Johnson, and Lee, in a heavy 4-0 loss to Madison.

“Basically, we just stick to the battle plan, game in and game out,” he said. “The guys know, don't do anything stupid with the ball. Stay focused, and play mentally sound ball.”

The Rough Riders opened the second round of district play on Wednesday against Lee. They play the MacArthur Brahmas (4-7-4; 0-3-3) at 3 p.m. Saturday on Blossom-West field before getting a “revenge factor” game against Madison (5-7-1; 2-3-1) on Tuesday, a 7 p.m. start on Blossom-East field.